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Obesity

If you’re concerned about your child’s weight, or your child has been referred for treatment of childhood obesity, you are not alone. One-third of children in the United States are currently considered overweight or obese. Across Nemours campuses, teams of dedicated childhood obesity experts work one-on-one with your child and family to develop a personalized treatment plan.

Read More About Childhood Obesity

Obesity is measured by a child’s body mass index or BMI, which is a calculation that uses height and weight to estimate how much body fat someone has.

Children with a BMI above the 95th percentile are considered obese. Those between the 85th to 94th percentile are said to be overweight.

How Childhood Obesity Can Be Treated

Some families may simply need practical advice and strategies related to healthy eating and exercise to treat childhood obesity. Some may have a child who’s been identified as having an unhealthy BMI and need a supervised program to help him or her shed excess pounds.

However, others may have a child who requires surgical intervention, or bariatric surgery, to avoid or resolve life-threatening conditions related to childhood obesity.